


Orphaned Hearts

by voidxgear



Category: Devil May Cry, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, child!Roxas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 04:30:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/635130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidxgear/pseuds/voidxgear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nero has been asked to temporarily take in a child from the overcrowded orphanage. He's not exactly crazy about the idea, but he quickly begins to discover there's more to the situation than what it seems, as well as to the boy himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orphaned Hearts

"Due to the recent tragic events in Fortuna, the Order's orphanage is...overcrowded."

Nero folded his arms and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking away from his superior that sat across from him. "What's this got to do with me?" 

"We are asking our knights to temporarily watch some of the children until we have opportunities to adopt them into loving families." 

Nero waved a hand dismissively. "Pass." He said curtly. He got up from his seat and started to the door. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly father material."

"We're not asking you to adopt, Nero. We're asking you to temporarily take a child in as sort of a foster parent."

And constantly remind him of his own past? Were they crazy? Then again, none of them would really understand. None of them had actually grown up in that orphanage themselves, feeling unwanted, lonely, and outcasted. Not only did Nero have pretty much no clue how to take care of a kid, but agreeing to this would essentially be his own past staring at him right in the face. 

"No thanks. Call me when you got something important for me." He placed his hand on the office doorknob and turned.

"He reminds me of you."

He stopped. "Excuse me?"

"The child. He reminds me of you when we first took you in. He doesn't seem to...get along with the other kids."

He hesitated. "That's not my problem." 

"Kyrie recommended this particular child to be placed in your care."

He looked down, his hand dropping from the doorknob. Even now with the things that had transpired between him and Kyrie not being able to maintain a relationship with each other due to the tragedies that had happened to the two of them and Credo, she was still a soft spot for him and everyone in the Order knew it. Playing that card was pretty cruel if you asked Nero, but at the same time, even now, Kyrie still knew him better than anyone else. 

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Meet the child. Then you can decide."

His chest tightened. "Fine."

***

Nero accompanied a few of the Order officials to the orphanage, waiting in a small office with them and an orphanage worker while another worker was away to retrieve the child.

"He's smaller than the other kids." The orphanage worker told Nero, her hands folded on the desk that separated them. The Order officials stood behind Nero, who sat uncomfortably, really wishing he could just leave. "So he tends to...get pushed around. He's usually very quiet, but has sort of a temper when he's provoked. At the same time, I've seen him help some of the other kids who get bullied as well. Even so, he has trouble making friends."

"Bullying. So what you're telling me is that nothing's changed around here."

The worker ignored him and continued. "He's pretty new around here. We don't know where he came from. Most of the new kids lost their parents in recent demon attacks. But...we just found him on the streets alone. We don't know where he came from. We're not even sure of his exact age, but he's estimated to be about 5 years old."

Nero sighed and let his eyes wander out a window. It was too familiar. They hadn't known where he came from either, or so they told him. The part of his past he struggled his whole life to forget was being thrown right in his face all over again...

The door opened and in walked the other orphanage worker with a small blond boy. The boy looked unsure of himself, looking at everyone in the room with weary eyes, his hand being held by the worker. The child's eyes met with Nero's back and stayed there, as Nero hadn't so much as turned around yet. He'd never seen this guy here before. Who was he? Was he the one he was supposed to meet? 

"Roxas, we'd like you to meet Nero."

Nero turned around in his chair finally to glance at Roxas. His eyes met with wide, weary, curious blue eyes staring back at him. After a moment, Roxas's eyes shifted away from his own, glancing at the knight up and down. 

"Your arm looks really cool." The boy said. 

Nero chuckled dryly. That was pretty unexpected. "You don't know the half of it, kid." 

The Order superior Nero had spoken to earlier cleared his throat. "We strongly recommend that Roxas be placed in your care until further notice."

The question _how long is that exactly?_ was on the tip of Nero's tongue but it didn't come out. He watched Roxas looking down now, shifting his feet and pulling his hand away from the other worker's. He crossed his tiny little arms and huffed. Nero frowned. He actually...felt kind of sorry for the kid. He'd been there. Sadly, this kid was experiencing the same things he was. If only it didn't have to be as bad for the blond.

"Yeah, I got it." He said quietly. 

The official raised his eyebrows as though he were confused by Nero's soft tone. "Alright. We'll give you his information and belongings. There will be a few forms for you to sign....

***

Nero carried a satchel over his shoulder with what little belongings Roxas had, which was pretty much just clothes and a couple of small toys. He and Roxas walked down the streets of Fortuna together, the small child struggling to keep up his pace with Nero's. 

"I can't walk as fast as you!" The child cried. 

Nero made a face. "Yeah, well, I always--"

He was cut off by the boy's scream and spun around instantly. A scarecrow demon was nearby, making it's way towards them. Roxas was frozen in place, completely terrified. Instinctively, Nero quickly moved between them, drawing Red Queen. It didn't take long before Nero was able to vanquish the demon with his large sword, not allowing it to come close within several feet of the small child. 

Nero turned around after placing his sword on his back again to check on Roxas. "You alright?" 

Roxas stood there, clutching onto his shirt, still looking terrified, but nodded. 

Nero held out his human hand to the boy. "Come on. We're almost there." 

Roxas quickly stepped forward and readily took Nero's hand, clutching it tightly as they made their way back to Nero's apartment.

***

Nero sat lazily at the dining room table across from Roxas, who was greedily eating the TV dinner Nero had thrown in the microwave for him. Roxas had complained pretty vocally that he was hungry as soon as they got home, and that was about all Nero had. Some bland meat and potatoes thing he'd bought cheaply at the corner store that he didn't really care for but it didn't seem to matter to Roxas. If Nero didn't know any better, he'd wonder if Roxas was eating some gourmet meal. Well, if the kid was that easy to feed, then it would make Nero's life a hell of a lot easier. Then again, the grub that the orphanages came up with was less than great. At least, that's the way it had been when he was a kid. Guess that never changed either. 

By the time Roxas was finished, he had potatoes all over his face, as well as quite a mess around his plate. Nero shook his head and got up, retrieving some napkins as he walked over to him. "You're supposed to eat it, not wear it."

"Sorry." Roxas said shyly. 

"A little slower next time, okay? You don't want to upset your stomach."

"Okay." 

He half expected Roxas to fight him as he cleaned him up, but he didn't. Well, that was kind of nice. 

"Are there a lot of monsters around here? The kids always talk about them. There's lots of them, aren't there?"

Nero bit his lip before he finally answered. "Well, that's what I do. I keep the monsters under control."

"Do they ever come in your apartment?"

Nero shook his head. That had never happened, but it wasn't something he would out rule the possibility of either. Still, that wasn't something he was going to tell Roxas. "No. They know better than to mess with me like that."

Roxas smiled a little. "Are they afraid of you?"

Nero couldn't help but grin. "You bet they are. I've killed lots of them."

"I want them to be afraid of me too! I don't wanna be scared of them anymore." 

Nero laughed. "We can talk about that in a few years, okay?"

"We can?"

Nero stopped. He hadn't actually thought about the statement before it left his lips. In a few years. Would he even know Roxas then? How long would the boy be in his care? What would happen to him when the Order took him back? Would he be adopted out or would be stuck at the orphanage until he got older? Would he even remember Nero?

He smiled almost sadly at the boy. "Sure."

"You're a lot nicer than the rest of the Order people. They always treat me like I'm a dumb kid."

The mess on both Roxas's face and side of the table was cleaned up now so Nero sat back down, this time at a seat right next to Roxas. "Oh yeah? So you're a smart kid, is that what you're saying?"

"I'm very smart!" Roxas insisted.

Nero chuckled. "I bet you are."

"Yeah! Like I know the reason I'm here is because they wanna get rid of me."

"...What? That's not true..."

"Yeah it is. They said there's too many kids but there's enough open beds. There's enough food. They just don't like me." 

Nero's heart dropped. Had the Order...lied to him? But why? What would be the point in that? What would be the point in pawning off some kid in his care? Suddenly he was finding it hard to even speak. "Of course they like you, Roxas...."

"No they don't. I know better."

"I'm sure if I asked them what's going on they'll give me a reasonable answer..."

Roxas frowned. "You wanna send me back, don't you?"

Nero pinched the bridge of his nose. This kid was a handful. "I didn't say that."

"Nevermind. I don't wanna talk anymore." The boy pouted. He got up from his chair and left the dining room towards the living room. 

"Roxas, wait..."

"Leave me alone. You don't wanna talk to me anyway." 

Nero reluctantly let him walk away, leaning his head in his hand as he watched the boy climb on the couch and lay on it. Maybe he just needed to cool off. Either way, Nero was beginning to feel like something had transpired at the orphanage that really bothered Roxas. Something more than just bullying. But maybe he was thinking too hard. Maybe Roxas was just a moody kid. 

These next few weeks were going to be pretty hard, he had a feeling.


End file.
